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Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:57:01 +0000en-UShourly1The Torch of St. Dominic Shines On in DChttp://www.catholicvote.org/the-torch-of-st-dominic-shines-on-in-dc/
http://www.catholicvote.org/the-torch-of-st-dominic-shines-on-in-dc/#commentsMon, 28 Mar 2011 22:29:35 +0000Thomas Petershttp://www.catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=15441Last weekend, through the generosity of a former teacher, I had the privilege of attending the first annual Spring Gala and Silent Auction hosted by the Dominican Friars at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception (PFIC) here in Washington DC., where I completed my S.T.B in Theology in 2009.

The PFIC, located just across the street from Catholic University of America and the National Shrine is a treasure for those serious about pursuing graduate work in Thomistic theology here in the United States, and for those who wish to see vital communities of religious priests and brothers flourish. In addition to their educational offerings (including summer language and philosophy courses), the Dominican Friars generously provide numerous spiritual opportunities (such as the now-famous Vigil of All Saints) throughout the year. This year I may finally be able to celebrate Easter liturgies there.

This year’s Spring Gala – while not featuring Spring weather (DC is still stuck with Winter temps) – did include the warm hospitality of my favorite mendicants and was well attended by almost 200 supporters. And what a fundraiser, too – ending the evenings’ festivities with sung compline in their beautiful chapel!

If you are looking to study theology at the graduate level in the United States please check out the DC Dominicans, and if you are able to support their efforts financially I can tell you personally your generosity will be put to excellent use. Furthermore, a visit of DC’s Catholic sites is not really complete without a visit to the Dominican Priory and chapel. I’d recommend visiting once Spring has fully sprung.

In full disclosure I should reveal that as I wrote this post I was happily sipping coffee from the coffee machine I won at the Gala’s silent auction. (Jealous, much? Then come to next year’s Gala!)

Andrew Sullivan, a well-known gay activist and columnist was invited to Georgetown University last night by Catholics For Equality to conduct a “Catholic Family Conversation on LGBT Issues” with Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage.

The problem is, despite his claiming to have tried his best to be a good Catholic and understand the Church’s teachings, right down to understanding the meaning of the term “transubstantiation”, Andrew actually doesn’t know the first thing about his Catholic faith, or about the arguments of the Church for its positions on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

Catholic moderator E. J. Dionne of the Washington Post was a hapless referee, using words like “exegetical” and tossing in quotations from St. Paul while admitting that he now dissents from the Church’s teaching on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

When facing the level of ignorance, malice and internal incoherence displayed by Andrew, it’s truly useless to attempt to engage him in a debate, because a debate requires logic.

The low-point of the evening (or high-point, if you were waiting for one outrageous statement to be topped by another) was when Andrew claimed, in response to a question I posed, that Jesus didn’t care much about families, that Jesus abandoned his own family, in fact, and that homosexual persons care more about marriage and family than Jesus did.

Seriously.

Allow me to rattle through a few more of the things Andrew said (I’m paraphrasing from memory but the video recording, should it ever be released, will corroborate my claims):

The Church believes homosexuals are intrinsically disordered. In 1986, Ratzinger wrote a document which implied that if gays stand up for themselves they deserve violence. The reason for the Church’s anti-gay activity is because a disproportionate number of bishops and priests are closeted gays. The only time I have experienced hostility hatred and discrimination is from celibate priests who think their power is dependent upon stigmatizing gays. Life without being able to have a romantic relationship with the one you love isn’t worth living. I was an alter boy, and there must have been something unattractive about me because I was never molested {to audience laughter and applause}. Cardinal Ratzinger covered up for a priest who he knew was a child rapist and sent that priest to go rape other children. The Church’s mistreatment of gays is the greatest scandal and threat to the Church in its entire history. I came out as gay because of my Catholic faith. I don’t believe in infallibility. Jesus was unconcerned about the family and marriage, in fact incredibly hostile to the family, he abandoned his own family, and asked every disciple to dump his wife and children.

… it’s not hard to see how it’s difficult to have a “Catholic” debate with someone who holds to these views and says these things. For the record, not a single one of Andrew’s claims about the Church or figures in the Church is true.

The audience, who were overwhelmingly gay and/or supporters of gay-marriage (though there was a respectable showing of those who support the Church’s teaching) were little better informed. One woman stood up and said, “Because my parents weren’t married when I was born the Church says I’m an illegitimate person.”

Again, this is an example of someone who is angry with a caricature of the Church.

I’m searching for access to video from the event so people can see with their own eyes what happened. I believe it is eye-opening for anyone who has not seen how the debate over homosexuality and same-sex marriage is being conducted these days.

I believe it’s imperative that faithful Catholics continue to offer up prayers and prepare themselves for the inevitable questions they will encounter about these issues.

And pray for Andrew Sullivan, who has clearly benefitted so little from his failed attempts to understand the teachings of Christ as conveyed and explained by the Church.

]]>http://www.catholicvote.org/at-cath4equal-panel-mockery-ignorance-and-lies/feed/63Update: Arch. of DC decries “Catholics for Equality”, says “not a Catholic organization”http://www.catholicvote.org/update-arch-of-dc-decries-catholics-for-equality/
http://www.catholicvote.org/update-arch-of-dc-decries-catholics-for-equality/#commentsWed, 08 Dec 2010 21:30:54 +0000Thomas Petershttp://catholicvote.org/discuss/?p=12147Catholics For Equality – an organization I sounded the alarm about about last week – is hosting an event at Georgetown University tonight (which I will be attending).

The Archdiocese of Washington has today responded to a false claim circulated by the Rainbow Sash Movement that this event is happening with the permission of the Archdiocese:

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has reaffirmed the illegitimate status of Catholics for Equality, a budding homosexualist “Catholic” group that is scheduled to host a student event at Georgetown University on Wednesday evening.

The archdiocesan statement followed a statement from the Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM), another “Catholic” homosexualist group, which had claimed in a press release that D.C. Cardinal Donald Wuerl had explicitly allowed Catholics for Equality to appear at Georgetown.

Susan Gibbs, communications director for the Archdiocese of Washington, called the Rainbow Sash press release a “nice piece of fiction” and asserted that Catholics for Equality was not a legitimate Catholic organization.

“Putting the label ‘Catholic’ on a group doesn’t make it Catholic,” Gibbs told LifeSiteNews.com. “It’s not a Catholic organization. It was formed in opposition to Catholic teaching.” [LifeSiteNews]

I am very pleased to see that the Archdiocese is taking steps to ensure that Catholics are not confused and further misled by the efforts of Catholics for Equality and the Rainbow Sash Movement.

Time permitting I will be posting updates from the debate tonight on my Twitter account. Those who wish to watch the debate after it has concluded may (hold their nose) and do so at the Catholics for Equality website.